by James Tate
Bree just laughed. "Okay, so he swapped you the code for a coffee date? Seems... suspicious."
My brows arched. "Right? I thought so too."
"Aha," she replied, nodding with understanding. "Girl, your curiosity is going to get you killed one of these days. Like, for real, this time."
I snorted a laugh at how casually she referenced the brief moment when everyone had thought I was dead. "I don't even doubt that," I agreed. "But it won't be over a coffee date with an infuriating asshole who thinks he's god's gift to women everywhere."
Bree climbed into the driver's seat of her shiny white Audi and gave me a serious look. "I should hope not. But I think you meant to say, an infuriating-ly gorgeous guy whose dick you still kinda want to suck despite his terrible judgment." She ran those words together so quickly I only just caught what she was saying.
Lucky for her, she gunned the engine and accelerated up the street, and I was too cautious to smack her while she was driving. She knew it, too, if her peals of laughter were anything to go by.
When she dropped me off at the front door of Danvers Mansion, I flipped her off and she sent it straight back to me as she peeled out of the circular driveway.
I smiled, shaking my head. Some things really didn't change, and if my friendship with Bree could withstand almost a year of silence and hard feelings, then I felt secure in the knowledge we'd be friends for a long time to come.
"Ready to go?" Kody's voice in my ear startled me, and I glared daggers.
"Don't sneak up on people," I growled up at him. Damn, he was tall. "It's rude."
He nodded with a healthy dose of sarcasm shining through his face. "Unless, of course, you're saving that person from being kidnapped and brutally tortured by a psychotic gang leader. Then it's okay, right?"
My glare turned darker. "You keep reminding me of Riot Night and we're going to have a seriously unpleasant coffee date, Kody."
"Solid point, Madison Kate," he replied with a nod. "Let's go, then."
There was something weird about his whole energy, but I shrugged it off and followed him past the perfectly manicured hedges and into the garage.
"Typical," I muttered under my breath, eyeing the ridiculous line of luxury cars parked inside Samuel Danvers' garage. That was nothing new. Dad had been working on his car collection since before I was even born. What was new was the workshop section with a black Challenger propped up on a jack and plenty of well-used tools scattered around. Now that I was looking closer, the motorcycles weren't really Dad's style either.
"You guys sure are making yourselves at home here," I commented as Kody led me over to a royal blue Maserati and opened the passenger door.
He just gave me a cryptic look, then jerked his head to the car. "Get in, Madison Kate. We're already late."
I grumbled under my breath about being late for a time we’d never set, but got in and buckled my seat belt nonetheless.
"So, where are we going?" I asked when we'd left the estate and been driving in silence for some time. We were heading in the direction of what used to be West Shadow Grove, and my muscles tensed out of habit.
Kody flicked a quick look at me, then turned his attention back to the road. "I told you," he said, "for coffee."
His whole demeanor had shifted. Where he'd been joking and playful this morning, now he was brooding and serious. For some reason I’d never understand, I felt the need to lighten the mood.
"And possibly cake," I reminded him. "But where?"
He shot me another quick look, and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Nadia's Cakes," he responded after a moment. "You wouldn't know it. Not really your scene."
Irritation zipped through me, and I glowered. "How the fuck would you know what my scene even is? You don't know me."
This statement earned a sly smirk from Kody, and he held my gaze for a touch longer than was really safe while operating a fast-moving vehicle. "Everyone knows you Madison Kate," he replied, echoing what he'd said on Riot Night.
Anger and resentment burned through my veins. "Not anymore."
Neither of us spoke again for the rest of the drive, each wrapped up in an invisible bad-mood blanket. When Kody finally stopped the car, I could see what he meant.
Nadia's Cakes was a run-down, decrepit little bakery-cum-coffeehouse firmly in the middle of what had once been West Shadow Grove. Evidence of my father’s integration projects were everywhere, with a fancy shoe store right next door, so new the paint still smelled wet, but Nadia's Cakes looked untouched.
"Come on," Kody said. "I promise her cakes are worth the drive."
Curiosity burned through me so powerfully I was helpless to do anything but follow, and I soon found myself parked on one half of a threadbare love seat while an elderly woman fussed all over Kody.
Her face was split with a smile so wide her eyes almost disappeared, and she gushed words of affection all over the tall, muscled guy like he was a four-year-old.
"Nadia, this is Madison Kate," he finally said, breaking away from her hugs to introduce me. "She's living with me and the guys."
I arched a brow. "He means to say, they're temporarily staying in my father's house until they find something more suitable."
"Well then," Nadia replied, parking her hands on her wide hips and giving me a small smile. "It's lovely to meet you, Madison Kate. We heard talk that Kodiak had found himself a woman, but no one said how pretty you are. That hair color is just something else."
I bit back a grin because I suspected it was the nicest thing she could say about my pink hair. Then again, who gave a rat’s ass? It was just hair.
"Uh…" I started to correct her and say that I was most definitely not Kody's "woman" but the fucker cut me off by ordering coffee and cakes for both of us, then sending Nadia off with another tight squeeze.
The older woman bustled away to the kitchen to deal with orders—the place was surprisingly busy—and Kody sank down onto the other end of the love seat.
Fuck. Did he just triple in size? I didn't care what anyone said, there was not enough space on this little sofa for both of us.
I shifted uncomfortably, looking around for a spare chair I could drag over.
"Chill the fuck out, Madison Kate," he drawled, stretching an arm along the back of the seat and almost spreading out even more. Our legs were touching, and there was barely even a few inches between our upper bodies. As it was, his arm almost draped around me... like we were on a real date or something.
"What the hell was that all about?" I demanded in an angry hiss. "I thought our deal was for coffee, not to be your fake girlfriend."
His lips twitched so minutely I probably would have missed it, if I weren't practically in his lap. "Our deal is for coffee. I just ordered it. Stop being so paranoid."
"Paranoid?" I exclaimed. "What? You just told—"
"Uh-uh," he cut me off, shaking his head. "I didn't tell anyone anything that wasn't true."
I glowered. "You let Nadia assume I was your girlfriend. That's lying by omission."
He tilted his head slightly to the side. "Is it, though? You know what they say about assuming."
My hand curled into a fist at my side, and I seriously thought about punching him in the throat. He'd deserve it.
"Now now," he murmured with an edge of amusement in his voice. His hand closed over mine and uncurled my fist. "None of that. Nadia is like a grandmother to me, and I won't have you starting shit in her place of business."
Anger and adrenaline and, okay, a bit of lust burned through me. "Kody, quit playing games. Why are we really here?"
"I told you," he said, voice soft and teasing, "for coffee." His fingers tangled with mine in my lap, and I stupidly didn't pull away and immediately bleach my skin. Instead, I found myself a little bit lost in the rich emerald of his gaze, my breath hitching when his thumb stroked lazy circles on the back of my hand.
"Seriously?" someone exclaimed, and it was the bucket of ice water I needed to snap the fuck out o
f it. "This bitch?"
I tried to pull away from Kody, but his grip tightened. The arm that had been resting on the back of the love seat was suddenly wrapped around me, and our entwined fingers sat in full view between us.
"Drew," he drawled, eyeing the brunette standing over us. "What are you doing here?"
"Me?" the girl—Drew—damn near shrieked. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here, Kody? And with the goat? What the hell?"
My eyebrows shot up. Goat? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?
"I'm here having coffee with a friend," Kody replied in a voice like an arctic breeze, "and we'd really love to be left alone, if you don't mind?"
The way Drew's face was turning an unpleasant shade of purplish red, I'd hazard a guess and say she definitely did mind. Safe to say this was a lover’s quarrel that I had zero interest in becoming involved with, so I carefully untangled my hand from Kody's and sat forward.
"Listen," I said, piling on the sweetness, "it seems like you two have history. I'm just going to—"
I'd been standing up as I spoke, ready to walk outside and leave them to air their dirty laundry without involving me. Apparently, Drew had other ideas.
Her hand cracked across my face so quickly I gasped. Not because it hurt—which it really did—but because I straight up hadn't seen that coming.
"You homewrecking bitch!" she howled at me, jabbing me in the chest with a long acrylic nail. "I bet those were your trashy-ass pink panties in his bed last week! How long has this been going on, Kody? How long have you been screwing the goat behind my back?"
I was fucking frozen with shock. So much that it took a second to register why she hadn't hit me again.
"Back the fuck off, Drusilla," Kody growled at her in a voice like murder. His huge hand encircled her wrist just inches from my stinging cheek, and his whole body radiated danger and violence. "If you so much as breathe on her, I will destroy you."
The girl sneered, but it quickly turned to a yelp of pain as Kody's grip on her tightened.
"Don't fucking push me," he warned her, then leaned closer to whisper something in her ear. Whatever it was, she turned an ashen gray and took a big step backward, yanking her wrist free of Kody's hold—something I was pretty confident she couldn't have done if he didn't let her.
For a moment, she just stared up at the beautiful green-eyed man. Her gaze was full of hurt, betrayal, disbelief and there, under it all—though mainly when her attention flickered to me—an emotion I knew all too well: Hate.
"You're fucking dead, goat," she whispered, her voice shaking with fear as she threw that one last threat in my direction and damn near ran out of the coffee house.
The door slammed closed after her, and Kody released a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging with relief.
"Sorry," he murmured, turning to me with concern etched across his face, "I didn't think she'd hit you."
He raised a hand to touch my cheek, and I winced. Drusilla—whoever the fuck she was—had one hell of a slap on her. I could practically feel every finger of the handprint throbbing and burning with all the blood rushing to the surface.
"Yeah, but you knew she'd be here," I accused, shrugging off his touch. "And you let her think we were together. What the fuck was that all about, Kodiak Jones?"
His lips twitched with a barely concealed smile when I said his full name, and he gave a small shrug. "Prove it. I just came here for the coffee and cake." He sat back down on the faded floral loveseat and nodded to my seat.
My jaw dropped. "You must be kidding me. I'm not—"
"Here we are," Nadia announced, delivering a tray onto the low table in front of our seat. It was loaded with several different types of cake and two of the best looking coffees I'd seen in ages. She'd even nailed the heart-shaped latte art. Huh. "You two enjoy," she told us with a warm smile. "It's so, so good to see you happy, boy-o." She pressed a quick kiss to Kody's forehead, then hurried back to her kitchen before I could correct her. Again.
I was still standing, arms folded, so it didn't take much to glare down at him. "Explain this or I'm leaving."
He didn't reply for a moment, just peering up at me with thoughtful eyes, like he was trying to decide if I was full of shit or not. I wasn't. If I had to walk the entire way home just to prove a point, I damn well would.
"Sit down, Madison Kate," he finally said. "The cake really is good. It'll take a little sting out of that cheek."
I wanted to show him a fucking sting. But I was kinda hungry and more than a little curious—again—so I huffed an annoyed sigh and perched back on the edge of the sofa. Carefully, I reached out and selected the slice of dessert that seemed to have my name all fucking over it. Strawberry and white chocolate cheesecake. Yum.
"Happy?" I demanded, taking a huge forkful and stuffing it into my mouth. Oh, wow. Kody hadn't been joking. Nadia's cakes were downright... "Fucking hell," I groaned, licking the sticky cream cheese from my fork. "Maybe the cake is worth getting slapped."
Kody's eyes were hot as he watched me eat, full of hunger for something somewhat less sweet than cake. "I'm inclined to agree," he murmured, shifting in his seat and not tearing his gaze from my mouth to even blink.
Desire flushed hot through me, and I swallowed several times to get myself in check. "Stop eye-fucking my mouth and start explaining yourself," I ordered him, but my voice came out huskier than intended.
His nostrils flared, and he seemed to need a whole lot of effort to tear his focus away from my face. "What do you want to know?"
I frowned. The obvious answer was everything. But I got the feeling Kodiak Jones had no intention of just sitting here and spilling his guts for free. No, he'd require tit for tat, and I was no longer in the mood for games. Or not that type of game anyway.
My revenge was a whole other game to play.
"Why'd she call me goat?" I asked, deciding that was the one thing I cared most about. All the other shit—Kody's history with Drusilla, whoever owned the panties I'd just taken the fall for, even Nadia's behavior... it was none of my business. But she'd called me a name that sounded a whole lot like a slur, and I wanted to know what the fuck was up with that.
He sighed, sitting back with his coffee in hand. Considering how friendly he was with Nadia, it occurred to me that his shitty attitude about my coffee over breakfast was all an act. A purposeful insult to try and rile me up. Fucker.
On the other hand, at least he did in fact appreciate good coffee.
"Goat," he repeated, crinkling his nose in a grimace. "Short for scapegoat. It's what everyone started calling you during the trial. Everyone knew you weren't the one responsible. Anyone with even a quarter of a brain could have told the prosecutor that pretty little Princess Danvers hadn't orchestrated an event like Riot Night."
Shock held me immobile, and I barely breathed. I needed to hear this. Bree hadn't mentioned any of this to me.
"But your father let them charge you anyway. He stood by while they put you on trial, never lifted a finger to close the court and protect your identity... then stood up for the mayor during the elections and preached to the people of Shadow Grove how he loved this town so much not even his own blood would be given a free pass. That's what he called it. A free pass to… what? Be released of charges for crimes you didn't commit?" He gave me a look that was way, way too freaking close to pity for my liking. "It was so painfully obvious what it all was. A publicity stunt. Riot Night needed a scapegoat, and you were it."
The cake sat in my stomach like a lump of clay, and I gave a short, jerking nod. "I see."
Kody sighed again and let out a small groan. "Madison Kate, I didn't—"
"No," I cut him off. "No, you're right. That's exactly what I was. But what I want to know now is why you did nothing about it."
His brows shot up. "What?"
"If it was all so obvious I'd been used as a scapegoat, why the hell didn't you speak up? You knew. You knew I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. So why the hell didn
't you come forward and set the story straight?" I was shaking with anger now, my fists clenched in tight balls in my lap.
Kody stared back at me, his eyes wide with shocked panic, like he was desperately searching for something, anything that might explain his own inaction. But I was way past listening to bullshit.
Shoving to my feet, I scowled down at him. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Too busy building your superstar career to do the right thing for the girl whose life you ruined. You're just as bad as my father."
The bitter sting of tears threatened, so I hauled ass out of the shop as quick as I could. I had no car of my own and no idea where the fuck I was, but I didn't care. I'd figure it out on my own, just like I'd been doing every damn day since my mother died and left me alone.
"Madison Kate," Kody called out from behind me as I stalked down the street, but I didn't pause. My long pink hair flapped behind me, I was walking so briskly, but of course that was no match for a six-foot-fuck-knows-what fitness trainer. I only made it past two more shops before he grabbed my arm and yanked me around to face him.
"I'm sorry," he snapped, sounding anything but. "There was more going on that you don't know."
"Oh yeah?" I replied, jerking my arm free of his grip and folding my arms. "Enlighten me."
His brow dropped over those jewel-green eyes, and the tight set to his jaw said more than his words ever would. He wasn't going to tell me shit. Not now, probably not ever. And why the hell should he? I was just some poor little rich girl scapegoat.
"Go fuck yourself, Kody," I said in a quiet, angry voice. "Take your pathetic friends and get the hell out of my dad's house. I can't stand having you all under the same roof as me."
His jaw clenched tighter—if that was even possible—and his eyes hardened. "Sometimes, Princess Danvers, we don't get what we want." He flicked his eyes to the shiny blue Maserati and clicked the key fob in his hand. "Get in the car. We can go back to hating each other at home."
